Ironing stand



Sept. 9, 1952 J. H. w. LEWIS 2309526 IRONING STAND Filed Nov. 4, 1947 s Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR: JU/M flmy M1 UR luv/s BY Mme/Vi Jam/X M M ATTORNEYS Sept. 9, 1952 J. H. W. LEWIS IRONING STAND 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 4, 1947 Patented Sept. 9, 1952 UNITED s'rar s PATENT- ori ice IRQNING STAND John Henry Walter Lewis, Chaldon, near Caterham, England Application November 4, 1947, Serial No. 783,869 In Great Britain November '7, 1946 3 Claims. (Cl. 38-1'07 The present invention relates to improvements in and relating to laundry ironing equipment and in particular to ironing stands for use in conjunction with flat irons and which are provided with a support upon which the iron can be rested during the intervals between execution of the work. The invention is directed especially but not exclusively to ironing stands for use in conjunction with electrically heated irons of the cordless type i. e. electrically heated irons the heating elements of which, during the operation of ironing, are not connected With any electric current leads but which are connected in an electrical heating circuit when the iron is resting upon the temporary support.

Various forms of support for hot irons are known for the reception of the iron during the intervals between working steps, such supports usually. being separate fireproof structures intended to be placed on a table, the ironing board or other surface in the region of the workingor ironing surface, but the placing of the iron on the support or its removal therefrom involves lifting of the iron bodily with consequent fatigue of the user.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an ironing stand or board with a temporary support for the iron so disposed that the eifort required in moving the iron between the working position and the position on the temporary support is reduced to a minimum.

In accordance with the invention an ironing stand is provided including an ironing surface for the work and a support for the temporary reception of the iron, the iron supporting surface of the support being disposed so as to form a smooth continuation of the ironing surface of the stand at a small downward inclination thereto and so that the iron may be placed on said iron supporting surface or removed therefrom by sliding movement transversely of the plane of the ironing surface.

When intended for use with an electrically In the drawings, Fig. l is a view in side elevation of a-complete stand according to the invenion, the stand being shown in the position of use.

Fig. 2 is a view in plan of the ironing stand.

Fig. 3 is a view in plan and on a larger scale showing the temporary iron support separated from the remainder of the stand.

Fig. 4 is a view in sectional elevation showing the temporary support and a part of the top of the stand, and taken on the-line 44 of Fig. 3.

Figs. 5 and 6 are views in end elevation and plan respectively of an alternative construction.

Referring to the drawings, the ironing stand consists of a flat top or board I of wood-sheet metal or other appropriate material, suitably padded over the greater part of its-'upper'ironing surface and carried by a foldable trestle of known form comprising in the case illustrated, a pair of frames 2, and ,3, hinged together at 4 intermediate their length, one frame 2 being hinged at 5 tothe underside of. the top I whilst the other in the open position shown in Fig. l is adapted to engage with the upper end against an abutment 6 on the underside of the top I, whilst in the closed position the frame 3 is folded into the plane of the frame 2 and both frames then folded to a position close against the underside of the top I by movement of the frame 2 about the hinge 5.

The top board I is slotted or recessed near one end for the reception of a temporary support for the iron, the temporary support being formed by a tray 1 of metal. v

The tray 1 may be formed conveniently as a sheet metal pressing and comprises a fiat base 8 tapering in width from one end to the other, vertical side walls 9 of increasing depth in the direction from the wider end to the narrow end of the base 8 and being of small depth at said wide end, and an end wall Ill closing the narrow or rear end of the tray.. The wide end of the bottom 8 of the tray may terminate in a downwardly extending apron 8'.

The side walls 9 and the end wall ill are provided with outwardly directed flanges II which rest upon the top I at the edges of the recess or aperture therein, the tray being secured in position by screws l2.

A roller 13, comprising a number of short sleeves M mounted for rotation on a pin 15, extends across the entire width of the wide or entry end of the tray 1, the pin being staked into the side walls 9 of the tray, Asecond roller E6 of similar construction to, but shorter than, roller I3 is mounted parallel to roller I3, between lugs I! punched up from the flat base 8 of the tray 1.

, The rollers l3 and i6 aremounted close to the base 8 of the tray and the distance between roller I6 and the end wall ID is somewhat greater than the distance between the two rollers I3 and I6, and the upper side of the roller I3 is in substantial alignment with the upper edges of the side walls 9 of the tray 1 at the wider end of the latter.

To the inner surfaces of the side walls 9 of the tray 1 at the narrow end thereof are affixed a pair of angle pieces I8 with one limb I 9 of each spaced from the bottom 8 of the tray I and extending inwards part-way across the tray, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 4, and the edges of the limb I9 are shaped to conform approximately to the contour of the rear end of the body of the iron (the outline of which is shown in dotted lines at 20 in Figs. 3 and 4), and above the level of the usual projecting side edges 2! of the sole plate of the iron, the arrangement being such that an iron to be placed upon the temporary support must be introduced by a transverse sliding movement through the wide end of the tray 7 and is caused, by the tray side walls 9 and the shaped edges of the limbs IQ of the angle pieces I8, to take a precise position when fully entered into the tray I.

The bottom 8 of the tray I may be lined with asbestos or other fireproof material 22, the thickness of the lining material however being such that the upper surfaces of the rollers I3 and I are above the surface of the lining.

The cordless iron is provided at its rear end in known manner with projecting contacts 23 forming the end terminals of the usual heating element within the iron body, and the rear or end wall III of the tray 7 is provided with a number of apertures 24 through which the contacts 23 project, when the iron is fully home on the temporary support, to make contact with complementary contact elements connected with a source of heating supply current.

For this purpose there is mounted outside the apertured end wall III at the narrower end of the tray 1 a box-like member 25 which may be a metal pressing open at the top and at the end towards the tray I, and provided with edge flanges 26 whereby the box-like member may be screwed to the underside of the top I of the stand beyond the recess containing the tray I. The open end of the box-like member also embraces the side walls 9 of the tray I at the narrow end of the tray and is secured thereto by bolts, rivets, welding or like fixing means. The complementary contacts 21 are mounted in the box-like member 25 and are connected through a lead 52 with a wall plug or other source of current supply.

Thus the contacts 2'! are totally enclosed with in box-like member 25 but for the apertures .2 3 through which the terminal contacts 23 extend to engage contacts 21 when the iron is in position on the tray 1.

A sheet of insulating material 28 is fixed to the back of the end wall In of tray I said sheet being provided with apertures in register with but somewhat smaller than'the apertures 24 in the wall I0 itself, to prevent engagement of the contacts 23 on the iron with the wall II).

A detachable cover plate 30 is provided in the end of the top I of the support above the boxlike member 25 to give access to the interior of member 25 when desired, and the cover plate 30 preferably includes a small window 3i through which a lamp 32 disposed within the box-like member 25 and in the heating circuit may be observed for the purpose of ascertaining whether the heating circuit is closed or not. The iron is preferably provided in its interior in known manner with an adjustable heat-sensitive switch or thermostat adapted to open the heating circuit when the iron has been heated to a desired degree, as determined by the setting of the thermostat.

It will readily be seen that with the tray I mounted in the recess in the top I of the stand with the flanges II resting on the edges of the recess and the wide entry end of the tray towards the working surface portion of the top I, the upper side of the roller I3 is substantially in the plane of the ironing surface whilst the base of the tray is at a small downward inclination to the plane of the ironing top and the upper side of roller I6 is below the upper side of roller I3.

Thus when the iron is to be re-heated or is to be rested in the intervals between ironing successive articles, it is merely necessary to slide the iron transversely on the top I until the rear end of the sole plate enters between the side walls 9 of the tray I and engages the roller I3, the iron being thereafter guided by the side walls 9 and the shaped edges of the limbs I9 of the angle-pieces, as it moves slightly downwards, to cause the contacts 23 to enter the apertures 24 in the rear wall I0 of the tray I and into engagement with contacts 21 in the box-like member, as the iron reaches the fully home-position on the tray, to close the circuit of the heating element of the iron. The iron when fully home rests upon the rollers I3 and I6 and the position of small downward inclination towards the rear wall ID of the tray ensures effective engagement and maintenance of engagement between contacts 23 on the iron and 21 in the box-like member 25. No lifting of the iron is involved in placing it upon the tray 1 and only a minimum of eifort is required in sliding the iron from the tray for further use, again by a transverse movement.

The tray or temporary support is with advantage mounted on the top I of the stand in a position with its longitudinal centre line inclined at a small angle such as a in Fig. 2, to the longitudinal centre line of the top I so that the iron may be placed on the support with the natural arcuate swinging movement of the hand of the user.

The stand is preferably provided with a holder for the electrical lead when not in use, in the form of a pair of spaced spring metal hooks 33, Figs. 1 and 2, around which the lead is wound.

In the example described with reference to Figs. 1 to 4 the temporary support is mounted by insertion in a recess or aperture provided in the top I of the stand. If desired however the temporary support may be mounted at the end of the top I so as to extend therefrom, the wider end of the tray being provided with connecting means such as brackets 34 as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 for connection to the underside of the top I, if necessary with extensions 35 from the flanges II adapted to extend over the upper surface of the top and screwed thereto, temporary connection to the top I being effected as for example by means of wing nuts and bolts.

In such case the bond between the apron 8 and the tray base 8 may be made on a line such that with the apron engaged with the end of the board or top I the temporary support or tray i maintained at the required inclination to the longitudinal centre of the top I.

I claim:

1. An ironing stand for use with a cordless iron,

comprising an ironing top for the work to be ironed, a temporary support for the iron connected with said top, said temporary support including an iron supporting surface disposed so as to form a smooth longitudinal continuation of the working surface of the ironing top at a small downward inclination thereto, an end wall at the lower end of said iron supporting surface, electrical contacts mounted in the region of said end wall for engagement by the complementary contacts of the cordless iron through apertures in said end wall below the level of the working surface of the ironing top and side elements spaced from one another at the higher end of the iron supporting surface by a distance greater than the Width of the iron and converging toward one another in the direction from the higher to the lower end of said iron supporting surface of the temporary support and adapted to guide an iron into the position for effective engagement of the contacts thereon with the contacts in the region of the end wall of the temporary support upon an extension of a sliding movement of the iron over the surface of the ironing top.

2. An ironing stand for use with a cordless iron, comprising an ironing top for the work to be ironed, a temporary support for the iron connected with said top, said temporary support including an iron supporting surface disposed so as to form a smooth longitudinal continuation of the working surface of the ironing top at a small downward inclination thereto, an end wall at the lower end of said iron supporting surface, electrical contacts mounted in the region of said end wall for engagement by the, complementary contacts of the cordless iron through apertures in said end wall below the level of the working surface of the ironing top, and side walls spaced from one another at the higher end of the iron supporting surface by a distance greater than the width of the iron and converging toward one another in the direction from the higher to the lower end of said iron supporting surface of the temporary support, inwardly extending members on said walls adapted to engage the sides of an iron and to guide it into the position for effective engagement of the contacts thereon with the contacts in the region of the end wall of the temporary support upon an extension of a sliding movement of the iron over the surface of the ironing top.

3. An ironing stand for use with a cordless iron, comprising an ironing top for the work to be ironed, a temporary support for the iron connected with said top, said temporary support including an iron supporting surface disposed so as to form a smooth longitudinal continuation of the working surface of the ironing top at a small downward inclination thereto, and with the longitudinal center line of said iron supporting surface at a small inclination to the longitudinal center line of the ironing top, an end wall at the lower end of said iron supporting surface, elec-' trical contacts mounted in the region of said end wall for engagement by the complementary contactsof the'cordless iron through apertures in said end wall below the level of the working surface of the ironing top and side elements spaced from one another at the higher end of the iron supporting surface by a distance greater than the width of the iron and converging toward one another in the direction from the higher to the lower end of said iron supporting surface of the temporary support and symmetrically with reference to the longitudinal center line of said iron supporting surface and adapted to guide an iron into the position for efiective engagement of the contacts thereon with the contacts in the region of the end wall of the temporary support upon an extension of a sliding movement of the iron over the surface of the ironing top.

JOHN HENRY WALTER LEWIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 654,368 Troy July 24, 1900 1,277,912 Greenu Sept. 3, 1918 2,022,986 Spahr Dec. 3, 1935 

